[RKblackout]

I use my jeep as a daily driver lots of hwy driving (2014 Altitude Edition JKU) it came with black 18 in rims that I love. I added wheel spacer to give it a little more aggressive stance. I am now considering a 2 or 2.5 budget boost leveling kit I will most likely go with the AEV or Taraflex spacers type. I want to upgrade to 33inch tires. My question is will I need to change my gearing. I'm not even sure what gear ratio I have. I assume it's the smallest ratio that comes on the Sahara's or Altitude. Will I need to upgrade the gear ratio for a daily driver with large 33's? If I decided to get new rims would you recommend 16 17 or 18 with a 2 to 2.5 inch lift and 33's? I really am new to this and I don't want to kill the power of my daily driver.

 

[Jkuone]

I use my jeep as a daily driver lots of hwy driving (2014 Altitude Edition JKU) it came with black 18 in rims that I love. I added wheel spacer to give it a little more aggressive stance. I am now considering a 2 or 2.5 budget boost leveling kit I will most likely go with the AEV or Taraflex spacers type. I want to upgrade to 33inch tires. My question is will I need to change my gearing. I'm not even sure what gear ratio I have. I assume it's the smallest ratio that comes on the Sahara's or Altitude. Will I need to upgrade the gear ratio for a daily driver with large 33's? If I decided to get new rims would you recommend 16 17 or 18 with a 2 to 2.5 inch lift and 33's? I really am new to this and I don't want to kill the power of my daily driver.

Even if it has 3:21 gears 33's are doable, slight drop in mpg. As far as wheels your 18's are fine in less you really want to change. Most run 17's that I know.

 

[Maxx143]

Stock tires are most likely 32" so 33s should hurt your performance much. If you ever go to 35s you'll want to seriously consider a regear; 3.21 with 35s will be a noticeable drop in power.

The rims you have should be fine for most 33s, really only need new wheels if you go wider not taller.

Remember to keep an eye on your spacers, checking periodically to make sure everything is still tight; they can loosen up over time, even with loctite.

 

[RKblackout]

Stock tires are most likely 32" so 33s should hurt your performance much. If you ever go to 35s you'll want to seriously consider a regear; 3.21 with 35s will be a noticeable drop in power. The rims you have should be fine for most 33s, really only need new wheels if you go wider not taller. Remember to keep an eye on your spacers, checking periodically to make sure everything is still tight; they can loosen up over time, even with loctite.

Thank you for the advise. I will check my space tomorrow. It's been about 300 to 400 miles since I installed them. Eventually I would like a wider tire but I'm trying to avoid the added cost of new rims. Would you do first the budget boost lift or the new tires. Any recommendations on tire size or brand. I'm considering the BFG KO/2 or Duratrac's I also like the look of the toyo open country. Does anyone have any thoughts on what the quietest and smoothest riding aggressive looking A/T tire is? I know aggressive and quite don't usually go together.

 

[JTL13]

I would recommend the Duratrac, I have a set on a 05 grand Cherokee, and I find them very quiet, and awesome in snow/ice etc. and are light tires. If you went with 275 70 18 they are 33.4 in. tall, so will be where you wanted for height. Goodyear site says they are 56.2 lbs. above mentioned size also meet requirements for rim width as well.

 

[HtownJK]

I use my jeep as a daily driver lots of hwy driving (2014 Altitude Edition JKU) it came with black 18 in rims that I love. I added wheel spacer to give it a little more aggressive stance. I am now considering a 2 or 2.5 budget boost leveling kit I will most likely go with the AEV or Taraflex spacers type. I want to upgrade to 33inch tires. My question is will I need to change my gearing. I'm not even sure what gear ratio I have. I assume it's the smallest ratio that comes on the Sahara's or Altitude. Will I need to upgrade the gear ratio for a daily driver with large 33's? If I decided to get new rims would you recommend 16 17 or 18 with a 2 to 2.5 inch lift and 33's? I really am new to this and I don't want to kill the power of my daily driver.

For 33's you should be fine. Try and dig up your gear ratio although just for future upgrades. Both are great tires, pick the one that you think would look the best for your build and have some fun! I would do the lift first, enjoy the new stance, and get your money's worth out of your stock tires as you save for the new ones.

 

[NineseveN]

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but if you're not going to off-road it, getting a lift isn't really money well-spent. Forgetting the utility argument for a second, lifting a JK even 2.5 inches changes the way the vehicle handles on paved roads (not to mention the change in handling with a more off-road oriented tire). Some end up hating it and dumping their Jeeps. Most just bite the bullet like the rest of us and build the Jeep up into a monster while depleting their wallet. Others don't seem to mind so much with a set of pucks and 33's, but I have to wonder if that's just a bit of cognitive dissonance at work because most I see either end up upgrading for a more complete kit or never come back to talk about their Jeep. Seriously, your Jeep looks nice as it is; if you decide to lift it and end up sinking 4-5 times the amount of money you planned on, don't say you weren't warned.

 

[Pressurized]

As above, even if you have 3.21's you are fine going up to 33's. I found most Sahara's had 3.73's when I was shopping.

The common way to do this is using the 275/70-18's which are 33.2 and what we call a true 33, it's taller than a tire sized as a 33.

A great match for that is the Teraflex 1.5 leveling kit or if you want a little more, the Rough Country Series II 2.5 spacer lift...

Here's 275/70-18 Duratrac's with no lift and wheel spacers:

Here they are in Mickey Thompson's on a 2.5" lift:

 

[offroad29]

Hopefully this chart will help you figure out your fears that you want. Someone else on here gave it to me and it help me find the gears I'm going with

http://www.tnjeeps.com/page/index.html/_/resources/jeep-wrangler-jk-gearing-charts-r15